One of the reasons many of my long-time followers expected me to become a mother was that I always used to share with you, here on the blog and on my Instagram account, breath-taking hotels, and resorts – with mouth-watering food and the highest level of service, but there was almost always a catch – those hotels were defined as ‘adults only’, meaning not family-friendly.
The truth is that one of the things I fear we’d have to let go after becoming a family would be vacations at serene, designer boutique hotels. After all, when I think of family vacations, I usually think about crowded hotels, pool activities, loud music, and mostly generic, low-maintenance chain styles – because let’s face it, kids are known for their destructive force and mess, and most hotels that cater to families compromise on their stylistic aspect in one way or another.
But apparently, there is another way…
At the southern end of Ari Atoll, in the Maldives, surrounded by clear turquoise water and a coral reef, with soft white sand and plenty of vegetation is the Maafushivaru Maldives – a luxurious paradise perfect for a romantic honeymoon as well as families with parents not willing to compromise on quality, style, and a peaceful atmosphere.
Let's Cut To The Chase – All The Things You Want To Know About The Resort
A luxurious boutique resort in the Maldives
The Maafushivaru Maldives resort by the German chain Lti is exactly what I would call a luxurious boutique resort. On the one hand, it has all the advantages of a resort, with every possible facility – a wide range of restaurants, a magical spa area, a diving and aquatic sports center, and various types of villas, while on the other hand it is very boutique-like and pampering both in terms of style and atmosphere.
The resort’s design and architecture are very modern, with clean lines that naturally blend into the nature around it (both in terms of color scheme and materials). It certainly shows that the resort is brand-new since other than the central pool it was mostly rebuilt and redesigned in 2020, during the very long quarantine the Maldives experienced in the COVID-19 crisis.
In terms of atmosphere, there is still no doubt this is a boutique and high-end resort. We stayed there at the end of November, during peak season (the resort was almost completely booked), and the atmosphere was still relaxed and private, with no sense of commotion or noise. This serene atmosphere is obviously the result of most rooms being equipped with a private pool and/or direct access to the beach; but even in the hotel’s public spaces, such as the main pool and the breakfast and dinner restaurant, there was a sense that very few people were with us on the island.
Arriving at the resort
Maafushivaru Maldives is a 25-minute flight via seaplane from the Maldives’ capital of Malé. As you leave the airport’s arrivals hall, a representative of the resort will be waiting for you and will accompany you to the waiting lounge while taking care of the resort flight check-in. After a short flight via seaplane, offering an unforgettable bird’s-eye view of the amazing atolls below, we landed in a small marina in the middle of the ocean, and from there a short trip on a speedboat that took us to the resort’s pier, where we were welcomed by smiling hotel employees who had tasty welcoming beverages and cold, coconut-scented refreshing towels.
A magical little island
One of the most special things about Maafushivaru Maldives is the fact that it’s on a small island. Unlike other resorts, we’ve visited in the past, where you had to get from one place to another with a car or bicycle, all the villas, restaurants, and other facilities at the Maafushivaru Maldives are within walking distance. I know the image many people have in mind when it comes to a vacation in the Maldives is riding bicycles on a pier in the middle of the ocean (which is an amazing experience), but there is certainly some charm to the fact that everything is close by, especially when you’re vacationing with kids.
Facilities and island activities
As I’ve already said, while the Maafushivaru Maldives resort has a small island charm, it does not lack in activities for people looking to do more on their vacation than endlessly lie by the pool or on the beach. The resort has an amazing spa center, offering facial and body treatments (I chose the classic resort massage that took 90 minutes, and it was definitely one of the best I’ve ever had! A must!), a gym with a breathtaking view, the coral reef around the resort is also supposed to be amazing and you should snorkel around it (I don’t like swimming in deep water as much 🙈, but this was definitely my loss). Other than that, the resort also has a Festive Program – a detailed document with a concentrated range of special activities you can enjoy during your vacation, such as swimming with sharks, sunset sails, and even wine-tasting! By the way, if you feel like renewing your vows at the most beautiful destination in the world, you can have that arranged there as well – I’ve already notified Daniel that this will be our ten-year anniversary celebration 😉.
In terms of food and drinks, things aren’t boring there either. Aside from the main hotel restaurant, which serves an amazing breakfast and dinner buffet every day, the resort offers restaurants with menus from various cuisines, such as a chic tapas restaurant, a contemporary Italian restaurant, and even a teppanyaki experience that’s supposedly amazing (we had to give that up since it didn’t sit well with Jasmine…), and there is also an especially magical café (next to the resort’s sweet boutique).
Regarding activities for children, there isn’t a kids’ club at the resort at the moment, and following COVID-19 restrictions they are not currently offering babysitting services, but there is a gorgeous kids’ pool next to the main one. There’s no doubt the resort is child-oriented, and if I didn’t know any better I would have easily thought it was an ‘adults-only’ resort (there aren’t many resorts of this caliber of design and food that offer family vacations). So while you won’t find activities for kids here, you can arrive at this level of resort with your children, and I think that’s rare and amazing. This is just the kind of resort I can see us going to with Jasmine in the future, once the family grows 🥰.
And of course, just as important, there is a small clinic on the island, and the nearest medical center is on a neighboring island 20 minutes from the resort.
Villa tour
There are five types of rooms at the Maafushivaru Maldives: beach villa, beach villa with private pool, duplex beach villa with private pool, water villa, and water villa with private pool. We were invited to stay in two types of rooms at the resort, a water villa and a duplex beach villa with a pool. If you’re planning a Maldives vacation for five nights or more, I highly recommend combining water and beach villas, since they each have their own charm! In terms of style, all resort villas have the same design line of contemporary architecture and design that beautifully blends in with the type of villa. All villas include air conditioning, a flatscreen TV, a quality sound system, a porch, a Nespresso machine, and a spacious bathroom with a shower and bath.
Water Villa
When thinking of the Maldives, a water villa is usually what comes to mind. There is no doubt that waking up on the water, surrounded by hues of turquoise and blue, is a very unique experience.
These types of villas are built on poles above the water, and you reach them via a private path from the main pier. The water villa is very spacious, 94 square meters, and includes a lobby with a large closet, a kitchenette with a minibar and drinks corner, a huge bedroom, and one of the most beautiful marble-covered bathrooms I’ve ever seen.
Outside the villa is a wooden deck with a sitting area and tanning beds, and you can of course directly access that turquoise water. And the most brilliant thing? The bathroom has a rain shower with a direct door to the balcony, so you can jump directly into the shower as you return from the salty ocean.
Note that in order to stay at the water villa with a baby/child, you have to sign a waiver with the resort as they don’t take responsibility for that. We stayed there before Yasmin could walk, so it wasn’t an issue for me, but I would think twice about this kind of room with a baby/child running around since it could be dangerous.
Duplex Pool Villa
The second villa we stayed at is in fact ideal for two couples with kids, or one large family that wants some space (the villa is 183 square meters), since it consists of two separate units on different levels, along with a joint pool.
The upper floor includes a spacious bedroom with a king-size bed, a bathroom with a rain shower and toilet, and a balcony with an amazing view. The ground floor includes an extra bedroom, a giant bathroom with a pampering bath, an inner rain shower, and an amazing outside shower, and of course, an exit to the deck, with tanning beds, a private pool, and direct access to the beach. As I’ve already said, while water villas are the image that comes to mind when dreaming of the Maldives, you shouldn’t rule out staying at a beach villa. It is extremely fun getting out of bed straight into your private pool, and from there to the white soft beach and the pleasant, lucid water of the Indian Ocean 😉.
We started our trip to the Maldives with five nights at the Maafushivaru Maldives resort, and relished every minute! There’s no doubt this resort offers a unique island experience in the pearl of the Indian Ocean and is suited for quiet romantic vacations as well as family getaways, for parents not willing to compromise on style and quality. Thank you, Maafushivaru Maldives, for your perfect hospitality♥️.
Have you already traveled to the Maldives?
What do you think about the Maafushivaru Maldives resort? Which villa would you choose for your vacation?
I’d love to read your comments 😘